1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus, and more particularly, relates to a facsimile apparatus for performing information service to edit and transmit information stored in the facsimile apparatus to a facsimile on the other end of the line.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a conventional facsimile apparatus connected to network, there is proposed a Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. 7-183989. Such an apparatus has a configuration in which elements of the facsimile apparatus are jointly used as those of a modem or a printer. The publication 7-183989 teaches sharing resources of the facsimile apparatus with other apparatuses in LAN (Local Area Network).
Japanese Patent Application Unexamined Publication No. 1-264471 discloses a facsimile apparatus provided with a floppy disc or an optical disc as an external storage device.
However, such prior art facsimile apparatuses are not designed to perform information service and have various problems to be solved to give service of this kind.
Specifically, the prior art apparatus has first a disadvantage in that it cannot divide and file input information fetched by a scanner section from paper or divide and transmit input information. There are proposed facsimile apparatuses which designate a paper area to be read using a read area designation section in advance and transmit an image signal corresponding to the designated area of an image read by a scanner section. However, it fails to perform information service due to lack of a function of freely dividing an image signal generated by reading an image on paper by using a scanner section or an image signal transmitted from a facsimile apparatus on the other end of the line, forming a plurality of divided image areas and editing and transmitting necessary portion of the image areas, or a function of returning the divided image areas by a command from the facsimile apparatus on the other end of the line.
Second, the prior art apparatus has a disadvantage in that since a read area designation section cannot freely set division image areas, it is required to cut a portion of paper on which a needed piece of information is printed and put it on a form (e.g. A4 form) to transmit the needed piece of information. It thus takes time, labor and cost.
Third, it does not at all disclose how data structure is configured to provide information service using a facsimile. Nor does it disclose what functions are necessary to improve facility. Therefore, it is required to develop basic techniques of a facsimile apparatus which can perform information service.